Automatic fire-extinguisher supervisory system.



No. 860,560. PATENTED JULY 16,1907.

' J. G & J. D. NOLEIN. I AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHER SUPERVISORY sYSTEM.

APPLICATION rum) 001228. 1904.

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N0.#860,560. PATENTED JULY 16, 190?.

v J. G. & J. D. NOLEN. AUTOMATIG FIRE EXTINGUISHER SUPERVISORY SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED 0013.28. 1904.

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PATENTED JULY 1.6, 1907. r J. G. & J; D. NOLEN.

. AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHER SUPERVISOR Y SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED 001228, 1904.

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UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

JAMES e. NOLEN, or CHIC-AGO, ILLINQIsAND JOHN D. NOLEN, (5F TOLEDO,01110; SAID JAMES e. NOLEN ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, or me RIGHTTO AUToMATIo FIRE PROTECTION COMPANY, A CORPORATION or MAINE.

AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHER SUPERVISORY SYSTEM. I

Specification of Letters Patent.-

oriwinal'applieation filed September 11, 1902, Serial No. 122,925.Divided and this Patented July 16, 1907.

application filed October 28, 1904.

Serial No. 230,303.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that 'we, JAMas G. Norma and JOHN D. NOLEN, of Chicago, inthe county of;ook and State of Illinois, and of Toledo, in the county ofLucas and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Fire-Extinguisher Supervisory Systems; and wehereby declare that the followitgjsa iull, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference b'eing had to the accompanying drawings, which formpart of this specification.

Our invention relates to automatic fire extinguisher supervisory systemsand has for its object to provide means whereby supervision may bemaintained over a plurality'oi such systems by a central station, inorder that they may be maintained constantlyin operative condition. I

Q In automatic fire extinguisher systems it is common to provide in thearea to be protected a system of branch 4 distributing pipes emanatingfrom a main or header directly connected with the source of watersupply, and to provide each of the branch pipes and the header with ii.valye adapted to remain normally open, in order thad the distributingpipes may be constantly filled with water, It is some times necessary,however, to

close the valves inorder that repairs in the system may beeffected, orfor other purposes, and in the event that said valves are not reopenedthe system, or some portion thereoi, is totally disabled Qby the cuttingoff of the water supply therefrom.

example their owners or the fire underwriters, to maintain a supervisionover the condition of thecut-ofi valves that our invention is designed,and to this end whereby upon manipulation of the valve in eitherdirec'iion a signal will be sent to' the central oilice by which thesupervising operator is notified of the closing or ripeningoi'the-valve.

Dior invention further consists in certain features andidetails ofconstruction and arrangement of devices scribed and pointed out in theclaims.

In the drawings; Figure 1 represents diagrammatically an automaticfireextinguishing system equipped with our invention. Fig. 2 is asideelevation of avalve proyided with a signal box and operating means. Fig.3 ins. central vertical section through the same taken on line 3-3 ofFig. 5. Fig; .4 .is an end elevation of It is with a view toenablingthose interested in the safety of buildings equipped with such systems,as for" it consists in providing in conjunctionwith eachcut-g off valveof the extinguishing system an automatic signal transmitting boxarranged in electrical circuit with suitable indicating devices at acentral station employed; which will be hereafter more fully de-.

' the valve and signaling mechanism. 5 is a top plan view of the sameand, Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the signal boxoperating levers.

Throughout thedrawingslike numerals of reference re'fer always to likeparts.

In Fig. 1 A represents a source of water supply communicating with aheader or distributing pipe A from which emanate a series of risers orbranch pipeaB-B arranged to supply waterto suitable subsidiary devicesof a fire extinguisher system, as well known to'those skilled in theart. The inlet from the main A to the header A and. the connectionbetween said header (and the distributing pipes BB are provided withsuitable cut-off valves 0, adapted to remain normally open to permitsaid pipes to be filled with water the source of supply. I D-Drepresents a series of signal boxes, of any suitable type, suchforinstance as those used in messenger call service to send readableplural impulse signals to indicate station numbers by breaking i anelectric circuit a plurality of times, one being arranged adjacent toeach valve and connected thereto by means to be hereaftei described,- sothe said signal box 7 will be caused to operate whenever the valve issufli- .c'iently moved from open position toward closed position, orvice yersaL- Said signal boxes D are arranged Y in series in an electriccircuit E communicating a suitable central station, and there providedwith a battery F, or other suitable source of electric supply, and

an indicatilig gecording device, such as'the-ordinary tape recordersised in messengercall systems-and conventionally indicated at G'.

' Referring newto Figs. 2 to 6, wherein isillustrated an operative meansfor connecting the alarm .boir D p and theval eso that the alarm box isactuated whenever thevalve is sufliciently moved from open towardclosed| position or from closed toward open position;

the -va lve 'C is shown as oi-e. reciprocating type, having amovable-member c, provided with aecrew threaded socket 30 adapted toreceive the screw threaded end of,a revoluble axially stationary stem31. Said .stem is provided with a handle 32 and has secured thereto inproximity to the valve casing 33 a driving pinion 34. 35 is a pinion ofequal size with the pinion 34 and meshing with the latter. 36 and 37 aretwo large gears oi equal size meshing respectively with the gear 34 andthe pinion 35. The pinion'35 andgears 36 and 37 are mounted upon'suitable studs projecting from the valve casing 33, or other suitablesupports associated with said valve casing. 38 is a studor-pinprojecting iromthe face of gear 36, and 39 is ,a similar pinprojecting from the gear 37. The'signal boar D is secured to the valvecasing by suitable brackets and .E tact withthe straight front face ofthe head 43 oi arm is provided with two operating levers 41 and 42arranged in angular relation to each other, so that one normallyoverlies theface of gear 36 while the other is similarly related to thegear-'37. The lever arms 41 and 42 should be formed of spring metal,preferably relatively thin, and laterally extended, so they may readilyspring away from the gears, and preferably inflexible in a direction ofrotation. Each of said arms is provided a't its extremity with a head 43having a beveled rear face 44, as best shown in Fig. 6.

When the parts are in position shown in Fig. 5, so that the valve isopen and the signal box set in operative condition, the pin 39 on thegear 37 will be in con- 42, and the pin 38 upon the gear 36 will be incontact with the front face of arm 41. If new the valve handle 32 berotated to the right, the pinion 34 aid the train anism. Upon the otherside of the valve the gear 36 rotates in a direction opposite to that hithe gear 37 the pin 38 .thereon will meet the beveled rear face of saidhead 43 of lever41 and pass thereunder, the arm 4i yieldingto permit thepin to escape. The parts are so arranged that a complete revolution ofeach' of the large gears iseffected when the valve is moved from open toclosed position. Thus it-will appear upon the valve being closed theparts will again occupy the initial position as shown in full lines inFig. 5, but upon movingthe valve handle to open the valve again thehandle must beturned to the leit and the gearing revolved in,thedirectibn indicated by the dotted arrows. Nowthepin $8 upon the gear36 presses against the head 435i arm 41 and moves the same to the dottedline. position, the pin 39 uponihe gear 37 during its movement passingbeneath the arm 42 iii-"the manner before described. It will be seenthat the movement of the valve in either direction causes the signal box,to be operated and the signal to be transmitted to the changes in theconstruction maybe readily ma'de "suitable circuit connections beterntlve mechanical connections 'between the transmitter our invention,and we do not, therefore, desire to be limited to the details ofconstruction herein set forth for the purpose of affording a fulldisclosure of said invention, further than as specified in the claims.

We do not, however, claim herein the broad idea of the association witha valve of an automatic signal transmitter in proper circuit relationwith a suitable signal receiving instrument, the transmitter beingarranged for control by the valve and adapted on acertain movement ofthe valve to transmit a signal and condition itself for anothersignaling operation, as such matter is covered by our application SerialNo.

l22,925, filed Sept. 11th., 1902, whereof this case is a division, butwe limit this case tosuc-h an arrangement that movement of the valve ineither direction .occasions the actuation of the transmitter.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent, oi the United States, is:-

1. The combination with a valve of a lire extinguishing system, movablein two directions, of means for indicating movement of the valve ineither direction, said means comprising an electric signal transmitter,adapted to transmit plural impulse signals. a signal responsive dc vice,suitable circuit connections between said transmitter and signalresponsive device,'and operative connections between the transmitter andvalve, whereby the .valve initiates the operation of the';transmil'te1nwhen moved from open position toward closed position, andagain when moved in the reverse direction.

The combinationwith a valve of a iire'extinguishlug movement of thevalve in either dii ection, said means comprising an electric signaltransmitter adapted to trans mit plural impulse signals. asignal,;responsiv e device,

an said devices, and opand the valve: whereby the valve controls theoperation of the transmitter and initiates "the operation of saidtransmitter upon movement of the valve in either direction.

In testimony that we claim the foreguing'as our own, we nflix oursignatures in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES G. NOLEN. I JNQ. D. NOLEN. In presence o As to James G. Nolen:Gno. '1. Mn, J12, MARY F. Anni-1N.

As to John D. Nolen:

.T. W. CABLE, F. G. Carma.

